I have seen people unwilling to feed, and I have seen them die by their own hands. They were broken, and by the end, they were monsters beyond saving.

  He dodged out of the way, the dagger smashing into the tree behind him. Its trunk split in two as the dagger sliced through it like butter. Splinters flew everywhere as its thicker hilt dug a hole through the tree. Kai heard the pang of the blade getting stuck somewhere behind, but he didn’t have the time to look as Yasa rushed him with her sword. Without any time to think, and fearing for his life, Kai pulled out the violet sword and clutched its hilt.

  It shone and vibrated upon feeling Kai’s grip on it, and a feeling of exhilaration flowed through his body from the sword. He took a step forward and slashed using Ivan’s technique.

  Yasa’s hair stood on end, and she dodged to the side with a twirl, but part of her hair lagged behind just enough for the blow to cut it clean. Her eyes widened as she stared at Kai, yet she didn’t back down.

  A step forward, a boost of magic, and a ducking motion later, her sword stood within inches of Kai’s throat and showed no signs of slowing down.

  He growled and created a barrier around him as fast as he could, then sent a large wave of mana into the sword. The temporary protection flickered as it shattered, stopping Yasa’s sword for a mere moment. Yet that moment was all he needed as he spun and slashed horizontally. His father’s sword emitted a ray of light as it cut through the air, and the attack almost connected to the woman’s torso.

  Right in that moment, though, she deflected Kai’s blow with her sword and sent a roundhouse kick at his torso. It was too fast for him to react, though, and he took the full force of the blow to his torso.

  Almost losing grip of his sword, Kai tumbled to the side like a kite with its string cut, a wave of pain rushing through his body. He was sure that the attack had broken some of his ribs, but he couldn’t afford to cry about it. Not in that moment.

  He rolled on the ground a couple of times and jumped to his feet just in time to enhance his feet and slide to the side, barely dodging another dagger that flew from above.

  Following it was Yasa, whose figure jumped from tree to tree, gaining ground on him at a speed he couldn’t dream of matching. She’s so strong?! He thought, with the last bit of rationality still left in his bones. His body shivered, and his wrist flicked. The wand appeared in his hand, and he quickly summoned a dozen layers of low-ranked barriers. Twelve fireballs also circled him, awaiting his command. On top of all of those, he enhanced his body to the limit with all the quick spells he could.

  All of that happened in the time it takes for a spark to fly off a piece of flint, and the sound of shattering barriers soon reverberated in the night. One, two, three, four… twelve. In less than a second, all of his barriers exploded, and Yasa’s sword once again threatened to take his life.

  This time around, though, he was ready and kneeled before blocking the attack with his sword. His hands instantly gave in, though, and the sword dropped to the ground as he backed away. Yasa’s strength was too much for him to bear, but he gained a life at the cost of one weapon.

  The silver sword appeared in his hand, its blade shining with reflected moonlight. He held it with wavering confidence, its thin blade trembling within his grasp. However, he didn’t dare look away or underestimate the woman. He couldn’t afford to.

  Yasa looked at the twelve fireballs with apprehension and didn’t rush him like before. Kai had shown enough ability to fight for her to raise her guard. A magician and a swordsman made a good pair, usually, but they were each other’s weakness. However, Kai was both at the same time, meaning that his sole weakness was his skill.

  She quickly mumbled under her breath, casting a couple of high-level spells. Kai did the same as he waved his wand and put up another three high-level barriers. Well, as high as a One Star Large Core Mage could afford. He added another dozen fireballs to his protection and also enhanced the silver sword with mana.

  He gulped and waited for an opportunity to attack Yasa or for her to attack him. Despite the hunger, thirst, and resulting pain from those two, Kai managed to keep his head clear even in such a dangerous situation. The kick to his ribs poured some rationale into him, he theorized, or his fighting instinct was naturally high.

  Regardless of that, he knew that he was stuck. If he managed to win against Yasa, her fate would be unknown; if he lost, he would die. Between the two, Kai could not pick an option, especially not when his mind fought against his body.

  He blinked and wobbled slightly. The next moment, a loud shattering sound awoke him, followed by another and then another. All three of his barriers were cut through like butter. Panicking, he threw all twenty-four of his fireballs toward the woman. She didn’t try to deflect it and instead opted to get some damage in exchange for Kai’s life.

  As the fireballs landed on her armor, the tip of her sword collided with Kai’s silver blade. The resulting impact and successive explosion sent him flying backward. He lost feeling in both arms, and he rolled like a ball as his clothes lit on fire.

  Kai didn’t fear the fire damage, though, but what Yasa would do in a matter of seconds. He only stopped when a tree got in the way of his rolling, and by the time that happened, he was bruised and burned. Blood seeped out of his mouth and skin, and he couldn’t lift his arms anymore. Any feeling he had in them completely disappeared.

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  The front of his clothes had completely burned, revealing his scarred body. They weren’t the same wounds he had from the sun, but fresh ones caused by the explosion.

  Blood dripped down from his forehead to his face, clouding his vision. He saw a bloody cloud and a scorched, enraged figure dashing toward him with the speed of a bullet. Kai sighed inwardly and got ready to accept his fate. Yet something deep inside didn’t allow that to happen.

  His own blood landed on his lips, and he swallowed, enduring its bitter taste. Kai’s body acted without his consent as a faint whisper echoed in his head. He didn’t know if it was Onyx, searching for him, his imagination, or someone else trying to save him. However, he didn’t allow himself to accept death, not so easily, not before he killed Haniard, not before he avenged his parents.

  Tiny silver scales began covering his skin, though they weren’t many. In a matter of seconds, fifteen percent of his body was covered in scales, and his claws on both hands and feet grew. A short nib grew out of Kai’s hair as well, and his pupils became snake-like. His muscles spasmed with power. His arms twitched, and he clenched his hand into a fist but didn’t move. He waited.

  By the time Yasa noticed that something was wrong, it was far too late. Her advancing sword got caught in something, and her pupils widened upon seeing Kai’s bloody hand grip the sharp, mana-enhanced blade. Despite the wound it caused, he refused to let go, and she had no strength to resist it when he pulled back.

  The sword flew out of her hand, and Kai threw it to the side as he stood up. Yasa’s body froze at the sudden turn of events, and every fiber of her being told her to bow down and worship the kid before her. Luckily, though, her will was stronger than that, and she only stopped for a second or two.

  However, those two seconds were more than enough for Kai to throw a kick at her abdomen. The sound of crunching bones rang out in the air as she fell backward, and Kai soon jumped on top of her. His eyes shone with a frantic light, and his sharp fangs threatened to take a bite out of the woman’s armor.

  For the first time in a while, Yasa felt weak. She was sure that this would be her end, after all, she could barely do anything in the fraction of a second it would take the vampire on top of her to kill and consume her.

  However, Kai didn’t do that. As much as his body and mind begged him to, he fought against his primal urges for as long as he could. His hungry eyes begged for Yasa to stop him, and he could only hope that she noticed his pleas.

  Whether she did or didn’t matter, though, as she recovered from her shock and grabbed Kai by the hair. She lowered his head just enough to hit the back of his neck with enough force to knock him out, and his silver-scaled body fell unconscious.

  She weaved a sigh of relief and pushed him away from her, gasping for breath.

  …

  The sun’s morning rays passed through the open window, kissing Kai’s pale skin. His eyes trembled as they opened, and the hazy image of a foreign room welcomed him. I’m not… dead. He thought of trying to get up, but his body more than refused to listen to his commands. His muscles burned as he tried to move, yet he couldn’t. The only thing he could do was move his head around, trying to figure out where he was.

  It soon became obvious that he was in a decent room, furnished, and the smell of cooking food inundated his nostrils. He didn’t make a sound, though, as he was afraid of alarming whoever it was that kidnapped him. Kai couldn’t be sure it was Yasa, and the events of the previous night were a blurry mess that he couldn’t quite recall.

  He remembered a fight with Yasa, and her oh-so-obvious killing intent, but couldn’t remember much past having transformed. What did I do?! His heart raced with panic. Is Yasa dead? Did I kill her… no… fuck I hope not… Kai’s breathing became heavier, and sweat dripped down his naked face. No matter how much he tried to, though, moving was out of the picture.

  “You’re finally awake?” A feminine voice rang in his ears, causing a wave of relief to wash over him. Yasa!

  Her footsteps got closer, and soon Kai felt a hand grab him by the scruff of his neck. Then he screamed out in pain as the woman lifted him like a puppy and helped him lean against the bedframe.

  Kai let out a light sigh of relief upon seeing her unscathed, but the fact that he couldn’t move made him wary of her.

  “You must have noticed that you can’t move. It’s not just because of the fight. I fed you a poison that would paralyze your muscles.” She said nonchalantly, making Kai’s heart race. What?…

  That meant that he was completely at her mercy at that moment, and by the looks of it, with no one to help him. “You should be able to speak in a few minutes…” Yasa’s voice sent a shiver down Kai’s spine, alongside thoughts of all the ways she could extract information from him.

  Yet, he couldn’t see any torture instrument or anything to hold him down. After all, she couldn’t be one hundred percent sure that the poison would hold him down for long.

  She saw the skepticism and panic in his eyes, and a chuckle escaped her lips as she sat down on a chair not far from him. She wore a nightrobe, and her dampened hair left a trail of water in her tracks. The air carried over her flowery fragrance, leaving Kai puzzled as to why she would take a bath at such a time.

  “I’m not going to torture you, kid. I did plan on killing you, though.” She explained as her gaze drifted to the pale morning sky. “And I did have all intentions to do just that the moment I saw you rush out of the inn. I followed you, just in case you were going to do something stupid.” A sigh escaped her lips as she forced eye contact with Kai. Her brown eyes shone with a mysterious gleam.

  “To my surprise, you didn’t attack anyone and even did your best to avoid people. You ran through the forest for a long time. I’m surprised you had such stamina. I almost grew bored of following you.” She tapped her fingers on her knee in a rhythmic fashion, weighing the words she was going to say next.

  “You looked quite pitiful, you know. I watched you suffer and struggle, becoming the monster you truly are.” Her words cut deep, but not deeper than her glare. “So pitiful, so annoying. Fighting your true nature like a worm trying to fly. I’m impressed with how much control you have, but I knew that sooner or later you would lose. I wanted to put you out of your misery, you know? Right when your pain was at its peak.”

  “And that’s when I attacked, but I didn’t expect you to dodge and even put up a fight. Then I almost got you even though you could barely hold yourself together, and then…” She paused and stood up, walking toward the open window, enjoying the morning breeze.

  Yasa then turned to Kai and shot him a warning glare. “All this to ask, what the fuck was that, kid?”

  Kai’s mouth stood agape, not only because the feeling in his mouth barely returned, but also because he didn’t know what to say. Not even he knew what it was, but all he knew was that somehow, the God haunting his dreams and his mind gave him access to it.

  He tried to shake his head, but that was too much for him, so he simply said in a coarse voice. “I don’t-know.”

  “You don’t know?!” Yasa’s pupils constricted, and she took a few quick steps to appear before him. Her hand flew to his throat, and he found himself dragged up like a puppet, air barely entering his lungs. “Then tell me why shouldn’t I snap your neck like a twig right now!?”